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enVan der Vaart withdraws from Netherlands squadRafael van der Vaart has withdrawn from the Netherlands squad after suffering a thigh injury in training.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/van-der-vaart-withdraws-netherlands-squad
The Hamburg playmaker left the Netherlands camp on Tuesday after tearing the muscle, and he will miss his nations 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Estonia and Andorra as a result.
The Dutch Football Federation confirmed on Wednesday that Van der Vaart, 30, had withdrawn from the squad, and will be replaced by PSV youngster Adam Maher.
Georginio Wijnaldum also withdrew from the Netherlands squad on Monday, after suffering an ankle injury. Galatasaray star Wesley Sneijder replaced him, returning to the squad for the first time since being stripped of the international captaincy.
The Netherlands comfortably lead Group D and are in pole position to qualify for the FIFA World Cup after winning their first six matches.
Louis van Gaals side can clinch their qualification for next years tournament in Brazil if they win in both Estonia and Andorra.
news_articleWed, 04 Sep 2013 09:02:27 +000052708 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comSneijder returns to Netherlands squadWesley Sneijder has made his return to the Netherlands squad in place of injured PSV midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/sneijder-returns-netherlands-squad
Wijnaldum has withdrawn from the squad to face Estonia and Andorra in FIFA World Cup qualifiers due to an ankle complaint.
And Sneijder has stepped in, marking his first appearance in Louis van Gaal's squad since being dropped and stripped of the international captaincy in June.
Van Gaal also overlooked Sneijder for his squad to face Portugal in August, claiming the Galatasaray playmaker was lacking fitness.
The 29-year-old has made 93 appearances for his country, scoring 25 goals.
He played a pivotal role in taking the Netherlands to the FIFA World Cup final in 2010, with five goals in seven games, although he was unable to help his side to a win in the final, where they lost ot Spain.
Sneijder has played in three league games for Gala this season, finding the net once.
news_articleMon, 02 Sep 2013 21:20:47 +000051909 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comBayern pair out of Germany squadBayern Munich duo Mario Gotze and Bastian Schweinsteiger will not play in Germany's upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers due to injuries.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/bayern-pair-out-germany-squad
The news comes as a big blow to the national team, though they comfortably top Group C, with midfielder Gotze sustaining a painful blow to the ankle in his sides UEFA Super Cup win against Chelsea on Friday.
The 21-year-old was brought down by Ramires in the latter stages of normal time, a challenge that earned the Brazilian a second yellow card and now faces a spell on the sidelines after tweeting pictures of himself wearing a plaster cast on Sunday.
For Schweinsteiger, there were hopes that he would return after being included in the squad for the international fixtures, but an ankle sprain sustained against Freiburg on Tuesday has not yet fully healed.
Their omissions marks more in a string for Germany after Ilkay Gundogan and Lukas Podolski both also had to withdraw and Joachim Low may look to bring in reinforcements.
The Germans will aim to secure their World Cup spot when they take on Austria on September 6 and the Faroe Islands just four days later.
news_articleSun, 01 Sep 2013 12:01:48 +000051043 at http://www.fourfourtwo.com